Machine for edging and matching lumber.



I Patented Apr. 22, I902. H. A. GALE.

MACHINE FOR EDGING AND MATCHING LUMBER.

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HENRY A. GALE, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGIANA C. GALE, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR EDGING AND 'lVlATCHlNG LUMBER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 698,111, dated April 22, 1902.

Application filed December l 0, 1900. Serial No. 39,374. (No modem To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY A. GALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and usef ul Improvements in Machines for Ed gin g and Matching Lumber, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to those machines more particularly designed for the purpose of first trimming and then tonguing and grooving the edges of lumber which it is intended shall be used for making u pvboxes and packing-cases.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, compact, and easily-operated machine in which low-grade lumber can be very rapidly edged and matched.

The machine embodying the invention that is illustrated in the accompanying drawings has a frame with two movable tables, each advancing the lumber first to an edging-saw and then to a matcher-head, yieldingpressers being provided for holding the lumber down upon the tables, which feed in opposite directions, so that the lumber may be edged and tongued or grooved on one side while traveling in one direction through the machine and then while traveling in the reverse direction will have the other side edged and grooved or tongued. p

Figure 1 of the views shows a side elevation of the machine. Fig. 2 shows an end elevation of the machine with the driving belts and chains omitted. Fig. 3 shows a plan of the machine with the movable tables and the yielding pressers omitted. Fig. 4. shows a side elevation of one of the movable tables. Fig. 5 shows a bottom view of one of the plates of this table. Fig. 6 showsaside elevation of a modified form of movable table, and Fig. 7 shows one of the rolls of this latter table.

The frame 1 may be built of iron or wood, but preferably iron. Supported by suitable bearings attached near each end of the frame and extending transversely. is a shaft 2. A pulley 3 is fixed on each of these shafts near the center of the machine, and these pulleys are connected by belts 4 With pulleys 5 on a shaft 6, that extends transversely near the middle of the bottom part of the frame, Fig.

1. One of the belts 4. is crossed, so that the pulleys 3 will rotate in opposite directions. The shaft 6 is provided with a sprocket-wheel 7, which by a chain 8 is connected with a sprocket-wheel 9 on the driving-shaft 10, that is provided with a driving-pulley 11, Fig 3.

Upon each of the shafts 2 is a fixed sprocketwheel12 and a loose sprocket-wheel13. The fixed sprocket-wheel on one shaft is connected with the loose sprocket-wheel on the other shaft by a chain 14. Fastened to each chain at suitable intervals are table-plates 15, Fig. 1. The table-plates may be made of wood; but preferably they are made of iron, with a rib 16 projecting downwardly from the center for the connection of the chain-links and with tapering grooves 17 near each end adapted to fit the tapering guides 18 that are formed along the top of the frame, Fig. 2.

When the machine is in operation, the fixed sprocket-wheel on the shaft at one end of the 7 frame moves the chain carrying the table- ,plates on one side in one direction, and the fixed sprocket-wheel on the shaft at the other end moves the chain carrying the table-plates on the other side in the opposite direction, so that lumber may be placed on the movable table-plates on one side and carried from end to end of the machine in one direction and then may be placed on the movable tableplates on the other side of the frame and carried from end to end in the opposite direction back to the place of starting.

A standard 19,with transversely-projecting arms that extend over the movable tables, is bolted to the frame near each end of the machine. A threaded rod 20 is held by each arm of each standard, and turning upon the threads of these rods are adjusting-nuts 21 and clamp-nuts 22. Pivotally connected to the outer end of each arm is an inwardly-extending lever 23, carrying a movable weight 21. Each'lever bears upon a stud 25, proj e'cting from a rod 20. By moving-the Weights along the levers the force of downward pressure of the rods may be governed, the extent of downward movement of the rods being determined' by theposition of the nuts 21 and 22, Fig. 2. The lower ends of the rods are forked, and attached to the pair of forks on each. side of the machine, so as to be sup= ported above each table, is a presser-frame 26. The lower part of the frame is formed of a pair of parallel bars 27, the upper edges of which at intervals are notched, and resting in these notches are the arbors 28 of rolls 29. The outer ends of these arbors are held by yokes 30. Each yoke is forced downwardly by a spring 31, the tension of which may be regulated by adjusting the screw 32, that turns in a threaded perforation in the upper part of the presser-frame, Fig. l.

Fastened to an arbor 33,that extends transversely each side of the middle of the machine, is a circular saw 3t, that rotates in a vertical plane. Each saw-arbor is provided with a pulley The pulley on one arbor is connectedby a crossed belt 36 with a pulley 37, fixed upon the driving-shaft 10, while the pulley on the other arbor is connected by a straight belt 38 with a pulley 39 on a shaft 40, that has a pulley all, that is connected by a belt 42 with a pulley 43 on the driving-shaft 10. By means of these belts and pulleys the saws on diagonally opposite sides of the machine are rotated in vertical planes in opposite directions, Fig. 3.

Vertical arbors at are supported by suitable bearings attached to the frame near one end of the machine on one side and near the opposite end of the machine on the other side. Fixed to the upper end of each vertical arbor is a cutter-head 45. These cutter-heads may be any common type; but it is preferred that they be in the form of saws, so arranged that the head on one side will groove the edge of the lumber and the head on the other side will tongue the edge of the lumber that is fed past them bythe movements of the tables, Fig. 2.

Each arbor all is provided with a pulley 46. One pulley atG is by a belt 47 connected with a pulley 48,fixed to the driving-shaft 10,while the other pulley 46 is by a belt 49 connected with a pulley 50 on the shaft 40,that is belted to the driving-shaft 10. By means of these belts and pulleys the cutter-heads on diagonally opposite sides of the machine are rotated in horizontal planes in the same direction, Fig. 3.

A piece of lumber placed on the table on either side is carried past a vertically-rotating saw, which trims off an edge, and carried past a horizontally rotating head, which tongues or grooves the edge that has been trimmed. After the lumber has been carried by the table past the saw and cutter-head on. one side for trimming and tonguing or grooving one edge it is by the operative transferred to the table on the other side, which carries it past the other saw and cutter-head, which trims and grooves or tongues the other edge.

The preferred form of table (that which is shown in Fig. 4) has table-plates fastened to and movable along with the endless chain; but the machine may be built with the movable table formed of rolls 51, as illustrated in Fig. 6. In this case each roll-arbor 52 is provided "with a gear or sprocket wheel 53, which is engaged by the links of the traveling chain 5t in such manner that the table parts are rotated by the chain that travels around the gears 55.

In this machine lumber can be edged and matched very rapidly, for it may be passed through in one direction to have one edge operated upon and then when passed through in the opposite direction to be returned to the place of starting have its opposite edge operated upon. Very low grade lumber, such as is used in building boxes and packing-cases,

may be successfully utilized in this machine. The weighted levers determine the force with which the pressu re-rolls hold the lumber down upon the table and allow for various thicknesses of boards without requiring adjustment for each thickness, while the springs which yieldingly bear down the individual rolls allow for any slight irregularity in the lumber and permit the desired pressure to be exerted at the necessary points. This machine is compact, simple to build, easy to operate, and rapid in action.

I claim as my invention- 1. A machine foredging and matching lumber consisting of a frame, a shaft supported horizontally near each end of the frame, means for rotating the shafts, two sprocket-wheels mounted upon each shaft, one of which wheels is fixed and the other is loose upon its shaft, an endless chain passing from shaft to shaft and connecting the fixed wheel on one shaft with the loose wheel on the other shaft, a lumher-feeding table connected with each of the oppositely-moving endless chains, a horizontal arbor supported by the frame near eachend, means for rotating each horizontal arbor, a vertically-rotatable saw extending above and below the plane of the movable tables mounted upon diagonally opposite ends of each horizontal arbor outside of the frame, a vertical arbor near each end on opposite sides outside of the frame, means for rotating each vertical arbor, a horizontally-rotatable cutter-head mounted upon the upper end of each vertical arbor and extending above the plane of the movable tables on diagonally opposite sides of the frame, and yielding means for holding the lumber down while each supporting-table carries it to a vertically-rotating saw and horizontallyrotating cutter-head, substantially as specified.

2. A machine for edging and matching lumber consisting of a frame, a shaft supported horizontally near each end of the frame,means for rotating the shafts, two sprocket-Wheels mounted upon each shaft, one of which wheels is fixed and the other is loose upon its shaft, an endless chain passing from shaft to shaft and connecting the fixed wheel on one shaft with the loose wheel on the other shaft, a lumber-feeding table connected with each of the oppositely-moving endless chains, a horizon tal arbor supported by the frame near each end, means for rotatingeacl't horizontal.

arbor, a vertically-rotatable saw extending above and below the plane of the movable tables mounted upon diagonally opposite ends of each horizontal arbor outside of the frame, a vertical arbor near each end on opposite sides outside of the frame, means for rotating each vertical arbor, a horizontally-rotatable cutter-head mounted upon the upper end of each vertical arbor and extending above the plane of the movable tables on diagonally opposite sides of the frame, rolls loosely held by supports above the table, and weighted levers for depressing the rolls and holding the lumber down while each supporting-table carries it to a vertically-rotat ing saw and horizontally-rotati n g cutter-head substantially as specified.

3. A machine for edging and matchinglumber consisting of a frame, a shaft supported horizontally near each end of the frame,means for rotating the shafts, two sprocket-Wheels mounted upon each shaft, one of which wheels is fixed and the other is loose upon its shaft, an endless chain passing from shaft to shaft and connecting the fixed wheel on oneshaft with the loose Wheel on the other shaft, a

lumber-feeding table connected with each of the oppositely-moving endless chains, a horizontal arbor supported by the frame near each end, means for rotating each horizontal arbor, a vertically rotatable saw extending above and below the plane of the movable tables mounted upon diagonally opposite ends of each horizontal arbor outside of the frame, a vertical arbor near each end on opposite sides outside of the frame, means for rotating each vertical arbor, a horizontally-rotatable cutter-head mounted upon the upper end of each vertical arbor and extending above the plane of the movable tables on diagonally opposite sides of the frame, rolls loosely held by supports above the table, springs for depressing the rolls, and weighted levers for depressing the springs, and holding the lumber down while each supporting-table carries it to a vertically-rotating saw and horizontally-rotating cutter-head, substantially as specified.

HENRY A. GALE. Witnesses:

V. R. HoLooMB, H. R. WILLIAMs. 

